July 24, 2007

• GODZILLA!

  Taking a break from the "required" review pile to enjoy my own choices tonight.  Earlier today I revisited Ifukube's classic score from the 1954 Godzilla.  It was great to hear some of that music again, especially apart from the film, though the images from the film kept coming to mind as it played.

  That La La Land Records release celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the original film.  For months there has been buzz that they had acquired the rites to one of the "most requested" scores of the 1990s:  David Arnold's Godzilla.  The announcement 2 weeks ago that they had created a 2-disc release featuring the complete score to this 1998 Emmerich blockbuster had fans ecstatic and fan boards are pointing out that 2/3 of the 3000 discs have already sold.  Unlike many of the label's other releases, this one needed no advance review copies to sell itself.  So, though it may be hard to believe, I had to buy this one. 

  Arnold's score had originally intended to receive a release.  In fact, the composer even commented that one was in the works at the time.  But instead all that showed up was a meager couple of tracks on a song compilation.  After two previously noted scores for Emmerich films, Stargate and Independence Day, both superb efforts, it really made no sense that Godzilla languished.  Arnold's first Bond score had appeared the previous year to great acclaim further mystifying fans that the only score he wrote in 1998 would be ignored on disc.  (He would receive a BMI Music award for this score.)

  Godzilla has some great musical moments.  The opening track, aptly named "The Beginning" is truly only a hint to come.  Fine lyric melodies abound in this score coupled with the terror of the creature itself.  The music often tends to play up the lighter aspects of the score in parts.  Favorite moments in the score include "Joe Gets a Bite/Godzilla Arrives" which has a gentle unobtrusive musical idea that slowly dissolves into the Godzilla music.  It accompanies one of the scenes overused in advance trailers for the film.  There are great martial moments and wonderful scoring approaches here that will illustrate the transition in Arnold's music learned during the scoring of the Bond film.  The score has moments that feature pointilistic flourishes and ideas on vibes or other bells and flutes with unsettling strings punctuated quietly by brass licks (often harmonized similar to a John Barry score).  These various techniques are on great display in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" which features great plodding music to simulate the arrival of the title character.  The gentle theme for Audrey is some of Arnold's best writing as is the almost magical music that often proceeds from it.

  Arnold's commentary in the booklet notes suggest the difficulty in direction of how Godzilla was to be perceived in the film.  The filmmakers finally settled on trying to play up the awesomeness of the creature versus the terror of a gigantic monster in NYC.  You can hear the tension between these two ideas in some of Arnold's cues as they linger unsure which direction to go until they explode into gigantic thematic statements that blend his work on ID4 and the Bond films.  It's actually kind of interesting to hear him use acoustic percussion over the drum machine in places as well.  Without all the sound effects to cover the music you can appreciate the effort far more.  (I seem to recall finding it difficult to hear this score in the theater--but I could be mistaken).

  As a bonus of sorts, there are alternate takes of three tracks (including the opening track minus the choir) and the album version of "Gojira" appropriately brings disc two to a close. 

  La La Land's sound here is remarkable.  The recording is crystal clear with fantastic definition.  It is a first rate release in every way.  Arnold's score makes you wish he wrote for more than just Bond movies and wrote more often as well.  The release will make you wish more scores were as consistently interesting as this one.

  • 9:18 pm
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